A great day to YARNBOMB!

 

Sometimes, you knit or crochet for reasons that don’t make sense to everyone.

And that’s okay. Because for the people who get it, for those who needed to have something that brightened their day or made them laugh or inspired them… it mattered.

That’s how yarnbombing is. Not everyone gets it. Some people get highly offended! Others just shake their heads. But the ones who see the joy in it, those who think “I would never have expected that!” or just stop and get a little smile – that’s why we do it.

Today, I participated in a group yarnbomb that was envisioned and organized by Mary of Uncustomary Art. Her original idea was to create all 80 knit or crochet pieces  to go on parking meter poles, and install them herself sometime in 2015… but time grew short and sharing is fun, so she invited others to collaborate with her in filling this drab lot with color.

A bit about the space – Old Town Mall, in the Jonestown neighborhood of Baltimore, was once a vital and thriving area of commerce. It was one of the last places in Baltimore to feature buildings with cast iron fronts, some buildings dating back to the 1820s. Over the years, the area has fallen into disrepair from a variety of factors; many of the buildings are empty and in bad shape. There is a lot of talk about revitalization, but for now the area is run down and a bit abandoned-feeling.

 

One way to both draw attention to a forgotten area and to bring a little joy to it is with color.

 

 

One of the best things about doing this today was the reaction from people in the neighborhood.

People waved, shouted hello, came and asked us questions about what we were doing and seemed pleased by the effort. In general, everyone seemed happy to see us, and we were super happy to see them!

Watching the poles slowly turn from peeling blue paint to colorful meter-flowers, on a December afternoon, was the best way to spend a Saturday.

 

A girl and her yarnbomb.

 

 

Huge thanks to Mary England of Uncustomary Art for allowing me to be a part of the day! And it was so fantastic meeting everyone else who made and installed yarnbombs today. Best! Day! Ever!